by Liisa Hale | Apr 30, 2018 | Educators, Pedagogy, Resources
With a shriek of joy, five bundled-up children take off at a full run around the climber and back to the fence. It is a chilly day and most of the children are playing inside, so there is plenty of room to run without disrupting other children. The teacher watches the...
by Claire Bainer | Apr 28, 2018 | Educators
Dear BlueSkies Families, We send this sad note regarding a wonderful alumni parent José Arce-Yee. José helped the school come into being 30 years ago as we were just starting. He had a knack for helping non-profit start-ups and began many important programs in the...
by Liisa Hale | Dec 23, 2017 | Educators, Publications, Resources
Why is play based learning so critical? “One of the interesting things about play is that you can’t fail when you play”. Play needs to be truly chosen, self-instructed and self-directed. Liisa Hale, Co-Director of Blue Skies for Children in Oakland,...
by Claire Bainer and Liisa Hale | Nov 23, 2017 | Banner, Behavior, Educators, Pedagogy, Snapshot
It is 11:00 and the Schoolroom children have been playing both in the classroom and in the yard since 9:00. A gentle winding down is beginning the slow transition to story time, lunch and nap. Watching, I can feel the children’s play becoming less vigorous; the...
by Claire Bainer and Liisa Hale | Nov 22, 2017 | Educators, Holidays, Parents, Resources
As we approach the holidays, buying gifts for young children often becomes part of the fun of the season. This article offers information about how and why children play, and what equipment facilitates the creative play process for children at different ages. Through...
by Liisa Hale | Nov 22, 2017 | Behavior, Educators, Holidays, Parents, Pedagogy, Resources
Parents and teachers are eager to share cultural traditions with children – sometimes so eager that children end up with lots of disassociated ideas floating in their heads which they try hard to assimilate into their construct of the world. I fondly remember a...
